The government has published its long-awaited 10-year infrastructure strategy, including a £1bn funding pledge to enable more maintenance and improvements on bridges, flyovers, and crossings.
The strategy, published by the Treasury and National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), has outlined, in all, £275bn of long-term funding for maintenance and major projects.
It is due to be followed next month by the publication of a new ‘Infrastructure Pipeline’ by NISTA which, over time, will provide a single source of data across the major infrastructure market, the government said.
NISTA is the government’s new infrastructure body, and was formed by merging the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and the National Infrastructure Commission.
Among a range of announcements within the document – including funding for hospitals, schools, and courts, among others – the strategy has allocated £24bn of capital funding between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to National Highways and local authorities.
This money will be used to maintain and improve motorways and local roads across the country and includes the £1bn to enhance the road network and create a new ‘Structures Fund’ that will repair major structures like bridges, flyovers and collapsed roads.
A further £590m has been allocated to start work on the Lower Thames Crossing, which will connect Kent and Essex through a tunnel beneath the River Thames.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: Infrastructure is crucial to unlocking growth across the country, but for too long investment has been squeezed. Crumbling public buildings are a sign of the decay that has seeped into our everyday lives because of a total failure to plan and invest.
“We’re not just fixing buildings – we’re enhancing public services, improving lives and creating the conditions for sustainable economic growth in communities throughout the UK,” she added.
The full strategy document can be found here.
Image: Chancellor Rachel Reeves/Shutterstock
